Assassin's Game
by MaskedxMayhem
Summary: Reboot.
1. Chapter 1

Alright, and here we go with the reboot! If anyone would like to beta for me, that would be awesome!

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A masked figure clad in all black walked with careful steps, silently slinking along the wall.

'**There are two guys at the front of the building, take them out, but be silent, let no one know where you are' **A voice said through an earpiece the masked figure wore.

"Yes sir. Sir, if I may, why am I going after the targets in a school? Shouldn't I be going after them in a less ... public area?" The figure answered the voice, holding a hand to the earpiece which activated the mic tucked securely under his shirt.

'**Are you questioning my authority? You are to do as I say, when I say got it? Besides you have no choice, the mission must be completed. You're our last resort right now, the men before you blew their cover and got themselves killed. Now the entire school is on lock down, and completely surrounded with guards. We won't have another chance to reach the targets. This was supposed to be a simple mission; get in and get out...but someone knew they were coming. This mission is very important, you cannot fail! You're the best we've got...I'm counting on you'**

"Yes sir. I will not fail you" The figure replied, then with each hand wound tightly around the handle of a knife, he cocked his head around the corner. When the figure pulled back, he flattened himself to the wall, and drew in a deep breath. With two fingers delicately placed at the his lips, he let out a low whistle, just loud enough for the two people he wanted to, to hear it.

A few seconds later, and two guards appeared from around the corner, each with a flash light in one hand, and a small pistol in the other.

"Maybe it was just a bird...we should go back to our post man" The bigger of the two guards said to the smaller one.

"No way, it's him...it's gotta be him. You know if we catch him, that large bounty on his head will belong to us" The smaller of the two replied, smiling, and shining his flashlight in all directions, searching for the legend.

"Come on man, let's go back. I've heard some freaky things about that guy, and if the rumors are true, we'll be dead in a matter of seconds" The bigger guard protested his voice ending in a panicked whisper, eyes darting in every direction. All the while the figure followed close behind the two, being careful not to make a sound. The figure was so silent behind them; it was like his feet never even touched the ground.

"Look man, none that is true. It's all made up, just to scare us. Now come on, he's here somewhere, and we need that money" The smaller guard said reassuringly, although on the inside, he was trembling like a small child.

He has no name and no face. No one's actually gotten to see him, even if they have; they never lived to tell about it. Some say he's a demon of some sort, or perhaps a ghost, others don't believe he even exists, but everyone's heard about him. The very mention of the assassin strikes fear into the toughest of men. They say that before he kills you, he whispers in your very ear...but you'll never even see him. They call him, The Phantom...

"It's all in my head...it's all in my head...it's all in my...ahhhhhh!" The bigger guard ended his chant with a blood curdling scream when he looked around to find his partner missing in action. The guard began to breathe heavily, looking around frantically for his partner.

The wind whistled through the trees, causing the hairs on the back of the man's neck to stand on end. To and to the whole eeriness of the situation an owl began to hoot in the distance, which caused the man to jump.

"Charles? M..man where did you go? I'm freaking out here man, I'm freaking out!" The guard began to stutter but stopped when he heard the sound of leaves crunching underfoot.

"Ch...Charles?" The guard asked in an all to squeaky voice for his large build.

"Guess again" A shiver ran down the guards spine and, his blood turned to ice when a shrill laughter ripped through the dark.

"It's it's...it's..." The guard stopped speaking when the light bulb in his flash light flickered momentarily before going out.

"C c come out Ph...phantom! I..I'm not af...friad of you!" The guard stuttered, straining to see in the dark. By now the guard was trembling uncontrollably, sweat ran in streams down his face, and drenched most of his clothes. The guard began to shoot in every direction, praying he'd hit the assassin.

"I'll kill you! For Charles' sake. I'll kill you, you bastard son of a bitch!" The guard yelled at the top of his lungs, his neck swelling with anger.

Before the guard even had time to think about what had just happened, he found himself doubled over, gripping his stomach in pain.

_'Why not make the rumors true...'_

"Say goodnight" The guard froze when he felt the soft brush of lips against his ear, before hearing his death sentence. In a matter of seconds the guard was on the ground with one knife lodged deep into his skull, and another in his heart.

With his left boot the figure pressed down on the corpse's throat before dislodging both his knifes. Taking a few steps away from the corpse the figure tore a large chunk of grass from the ground, bending the blades in half with the palm of this hand. Delicately placing the blade in his palm he wiped it clean of blood, using the grass as a sort of towel. A few moments later and he had made his way to the door where the now deceased guards previously stood watch.

"I'm in" The figure spoke to the voice on the other end of his ear piece as he slowly opened the door, and slipped inside. Quickly the figure dashed for the next hallway, and stopped at the wall.

**_'Good. Six doors down the next hall and to your right is where you'll find your targets. You've got about five minutes before they notice the missing guards. You have three guards down the hall, and three coming up behind you shortly. Don't move until I give you the ok'_**

"Yes sir" The figure answered, shrinking back against the wall, and waiting.

_William Lancer; age: 41, occupation: English teacher._

_Paulina Sanchez; age: 17, Occupation: student._

_Sam Manson; age: 17, occupation: student._

_'A teacher and two students. What have they done to become targets? They usually only have me take out the large crime lords, or drug dealers, anything of that sense, but a teacher? Could they possibly be a threat to the organization?'_

_'It isn't part of the mission to wonder about the targets, now put your eye on the prize, cause after this you're going to be rewarded with a large pay check'_

**'Move now'**

As soon as he heard the voice the figure moved forward slowly, keeping a watchful eye on his back side.

**'The guards have changed shifts. You're in the clear, get your ass in that room'**

"Yes sir" The figure answered simply, and moved down the hall with ease. Just as the figure was about to cut around the next corner he heard footsteps.

"It's the assassin! He's here!" Came a chorus of angry voices not too far behind him.

"Don't kill him! We need him alive for that bounty!" Came a deep authoritative voice, followed by a chorus of 'yes sirs'

At the first gunshot the assassin rounded the corner, and tore down the hallway. As he ran, the he kept count of the doors, and when he came to the sixth one he stopped. With quick fingers he picked the lock on the door using the paper clip he in his pocket. Within a couple of seconds he was inside the room with the guards just outside the door looking for him. He slumped against the wall when the guards had given up, and went to search for him elsewhere. He gasped silently, gripped his right shoulder, and cursed under his breath.

"I thought you said I was in the clear you piece of shit!" He growled through clenched teeth.

**'You were in the clear, and don't you talk to me that way, I could have your ass killed for that!' **The voice fired back, just as angry.

"You nearly got my ass killed already damn it!"

**'Just kill the targets and get the hell out of there' **The voice on the other end of the earpiece growled in response.

The assassin slowly let up the pressure on his shoulder, and stood up straight.

"If any one of you so much as make a sound, I will kill you." The figure said, taking a step forward, causing the people in the room to shrink back further to the far wall. A few small whimpers and gasps could be heard throughout the room.

"How much time do I have?" The assassin demanded rather then asked the voice in the ear piece.

**_'_****It doesn't matter anymore; they have an entire swat team on the way. You need to take those targets out now!'**

The figure sighed before replying "Yes, sir."

The figure reached to his belt line, and slowly pulled out a .32 Tomcat with a custom made suppressor. The figure pointed the gun at a trembling overweight teacher, and thumbed the hammer.

"William Lancer"

He pulled the trigger.

Bang.

"Paulina Sanchez"

Again he pulled the trigger.

Pow.

"Sam Manson"


	2. Chapter 2

The assassin had the gun pointed right between the Goth's eyes, his finger ready to pull the trigger once more, when a voice screamed from his ear piece.

**'What the hell are you doing? You just missed both those shots! What is wrong with you! Why are you holding back? Kill them god damn it!'**

"Holding back? What are you talking about? I'm not holding back!" The assassin yelled, beginning to get frustrated.

"**Look around you! You didn't shoot to kill; they can live through those wounds!'**

The assassin looked around to find William, and Paulina alike, on the ground writhing in agony, but alive.

"I've never missed. I always shoot to kill, how could I have missed? This doesn't make any sense, my aim was perfect…" The assassin whisper-ranted to himself.

"**Finish the mission."**

"Yes sir." The he replied through gritted teeth. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the door was busted down.

"Drop the weapon!" a voice boomed from behind.

'**Do as he says, I'll send whatever back up we have…just keep them busy, and don't say anything! Don't worry they'll keep you at the school, they have no way of transporting you, it would be far too dangerous to just take you by car'**

The figure let out a long sigh before dropping the gun.

"Hands behind your head."

The figure stood as still as a statue.

"I said hands behind your head!"

The assassin did as he was told, and slowly raised both hands to his head, wincing when a sharp pain ran through his shoulder.

"Search him." A voice demanded before two men in swat uniforms came up from behind, shoved him up against the wall, and began to confiscate every weapon he had. By the time they were done, there were two desks piled with every other weapon you could think of.

"Cuff him to the chair, I'll call for transportation. Make sure he can't get out!" A gruff looking man said before walking out of the room.

"But sir.." One of the men began to question his commander.

"Do ya realize that this man is public enemy number one? He has a bounty of forty five million dollars on his head for fucks sake! Now do as I say or you can be joining him!" The man shouted, balling his fists in anger and digging his nails into the palms of his hands to keep from lashing out at one of his own people.

"Yes sir" The two men replied, shoving the assassin into a chair, and cuffing his hands behind the back of the chair. Once his hands were cuffed they tied each of his legs to a leg of the chair. When the man came back into the room he had just shoved his phone back into one of his many pockets.

"Take the wounded to the nurse" The man said, motioning to the two of the figure's victims.

Immediately after, the two men that had tied the masked figure down went to the wounded. When the two men left the assassin, he was surrounded by four other men, guns pointing in his direction.

"While we wait for the transportation we're gonna do a little interrogation. No it is not appropriate to do this in front of a bunch of kids, but this assassin here" The man points to the masked figure. "Is highly dangerous, and I need information out of him. You see we've been tracking his ass for years now, and have had no luck, but now that I have him in my grasp, I don't want to pass this opportunity up. I apologize that you kids have to witness this." The man said. While the man talked, William, and Paulina were taken to the nurse.

"Here's how this is gonna to work." The man started to say as he pulled a chair up before the masked figure.

"I'm gonna ask ya a series of questions, and you're gonna answer them; and if ya don't I'll beat ya till ya do. Got it?" The man said, turning the chair around backwards, and sitting down straight in front of the assassin.

"First of all, I'd like to see what the legend "The Phantom" really looks like..." The man said, gripping the top of the assassin's mask. With a grin playing at his lips the man ripped the mask off the assassin's head. Icy blue eyes peered out from under a thick sheet of hair as black as night.

Murmurs could be heard throughout the room from both the swat team and the students alike.

"He's just a...a kid?" One of the men in the swat uniforms said, taking a step back.

"It doesn't matter how old he is, he's still an assassin, and he still has answers I need." The gruff looking man said, tossing the mask to the side. The assassin glared at the man before him with his emotionless eyes.

"We'll start with something easy. What is your name, and who do you work for?" The man asked, leaning forward.

Silence.

The man punched the assassin causing his head snap to the right. He found himself starring at a room full of students who stared back at him with questioning eyes.

The assassin stayed looking the other way, searching the students for a moment until his eyes fell upon the goth; his target. His blue eyes were fixed on her violet eyes, his stare was unwavering. For some unknown reason he couldn't pull his eyes from her. The girl mouthed something to the assassin but he couldn't make out what it was. Confusion, anger, hurt, sadness and concern, all of these things were etched onto her pale features.

_Why does she seem so familiar?_

"I'll ask you again. What is your name, and who do you work for?" The man demanded.

The assassin turned back toward the man slowly, his train of thought broken by the harsh voice, and spat a mouthful of metallic tasting, crimson colored spit. The man growled, and angrily wiped at his face. He turned toward the assassin, and punched him again.

"You are trying my patience! You are considered a huge threat to the country, and I will chop off all of your fingers to get you to talk if I have to!" The man shouted, leaning forward to where his and the assassin's noses were practically touching.

"You're never going to get me to answer your questions. I'm an assassin, born and bred to kill. I know no fear, I've been through more pain then you'll ever know in your life time. You think you have discipline?" The assassin started off in a whispered tone only the commander could hear, then gradually his voice grew louder and angrier. "I'm willing to give up my life in order to protect my family; my organization. Go ahead, try me! Cut off all my limbs if you have to!" The assassin fired back, ending in a yell.

The man huffed, and sent his fist flying towards the assassin's face once more, twice, three times.

The assassin licked at his newly split lip, and gave the man a hard look.

"You wouldn't willingly give your life up for anyone! You are an assassin, you fallow orders, and that's precisely what you're doing now!" The man shouted, landing another punch to the assassin's jaw. The assassin's body shook from the force of the blow, but he remained emotionless, not giving the slightest sign that he was in pain.

**'You're gonna have to keep them stalled for a while longer, I have two men on the way, but their across the state.'**

"Yes sir. I expected none the less." The assassin replied to the voice in his earpiece. The man scowled at the assassin when he realized what was happening.

"Take his earpiece, tap into the wire. I want to hear every single word they're exchanging." The man demanded.

"Black out" The assassin said to the voice in the earpiece, pronouncing each word carefully. One of the swat team members confiscated the earpiece.

"Toss it." The man in charge said in an urgent voice to the one holding the earpiece.

"I.. what? But Sir you told me to take it" The swat member gave his commander a quizzical look, unsure of what to do.

"Do ya want to die you idiot! Those were code words! Toss the damn thing!" The man yelled at the hesitating swat member but he was too late. The earpiece went up in flames right in the man's hand.

The man screamed in agony as the fire ate at his hand. Immediately after the earpiece blew up the other swat members rushed to the man's aid. There wasn't much they could do for the poor man but rush him to the nurse, after all the fire had bitten his hand down to the wrist and what was left of it was a barely recognizable bloody pulp.

"Piece of shit!" The man yelled furiously, kicking the chair he previously sat on and sent it flying toward the wall.

"You're enjoying all of this aren't you? Aren't you! Fucking bastard! I should just kill you! Fuck the government and their god damned rules, you deserve to die you mother fucker!" The commander yelled, his eyes filled with anger. He repeatedly wailed on the assassin until he calmed down a bit.

The students gasped and whimpered at what they were witnessing.

"You three, Guard the door" The commander demanded the men standing to his left.

"And you, go warn the guards in the hall ways. He'll have back up coming any time now" The man demanded, backing away from the assassin and rubbing his temples as if that small gesture would make things ok. The remainder of the swat team did as they were told, and guarded the door rather than keeping their guns locked onto the assassin.

A low laughter poured from the assassin's lips, gaining volume as it prolonged.

"What the hell are ya laughing at?" The commander turned on his heel and glared down at the assassin.

"It's like watching chickens with their heads cut off" He said "That's all you are; chickens with their heads cut off" He paused, his lips curling into a malicious smile "You're already dead, only your body hasn't caught up with the fact yet" The assassin finished in a low, taunting tone.

"Your one sick mother fucker aint ya?" The commander yelled, walking over to the assassin's stash of weapons.

"We'll I got news for ya, I aint no saint either" He said prodding through the stash of weapons. With the commanders back turned to him, the assassin, using his tongue, dug out a paper clip he kept hidden between his teeth and cheek. The assassin checked his surroundings, taking note that all had their back to him, with the exception of the students. He turned toward the back of the room, catching the goth's gaze once again, a wicked sideways smile found its way onto his lips as he sent a wink her way before spitting the paper clip into one of his hands

"How 'bout one ah these shinny blades then?" The man said, holding a blade by the handle in one hand, and testing the sharpness with his other. As the man walked back he turned the blade this way and that, admiring the unique craftsman ship. All the while the assassin worked at the cuffs with the paperclip, twisting his hands into awkward positions, the metal of the cuffs digging into his skin.

"What a gorgeous piece of work. You make this yourself?"

"As a matter of fact, I did" The assassin said with a light laugh and a playful smile at his lips.

"It's like a fucking birthday party for ya, aint it? Your just an excited, sick little kid prodding at his pinata, watching as bits of candy fall from the holes you create" The commander accused, with equally a playful smile on his own lips. He tossed the knife in his hands and crept closer to the assassin.

"My favorite holiday happens to be Halloween. I'm gonna use your own weapon to carve you up like a fucking pumpkin; a rotten, stinking pumpkin!" The commander yelled, his eyes wild with anger, you could practically see the fire dancing in them.

The assassin burst out with laughter, not a joyous kind of laughter, but a sick laughter you'd only hear in movies when the maniacal bad guy would throw his head back and laugh till his lungs burst.

"Where should I start then, your fingers? Your toes? How 'bout an eye?" The commander said bringing the blade to the assassin's face, the cold metal gently kissing at the skin just above his eye. The man trailed the knife along the assassin's skin, but stopped when he noticed something dripping from the assassin's wrists.

"Oh no you don't." The man said, tearing the blade away from the assassin's face, but not picking it up from his skin quick enough. As the commander whipped his body around his hand followed after, pressing the blade into the assassins skin and trailing it over his opened eye and halfway down his cheek leaving behind a dark red line and walked behind the assassin, confiscating the paperclip. The assassin howled in pain, squeezing his eyes shut tight.

The commander ignored the assassin's yell and tightened the cuffs, digging the metal deeper into his skin. The assassin winced from the motion and bowed his head, keeping his eyes shut tightly.

"You didn't search his mouth did you? How could you be so stupid!" The man yelled at his team, and tossed the paperclip, just out of the assassins reach. Fed up, the man walked to the front of the assassin but stopped when he got there.

"Awe, I'm sorry, did I get ya with the knife?" The commander laughed at the assassin's expense then proceeded to lift his chin up. The commander jumped back, surprised at what he saw, the assassin's right eye was slightly swollen and surrounded by blood.

"Open your eyes" The commander demanded. When the assassin failed to do as the commander wanted, he opened the assassin's eye on his own. The assassin's right eye was now discolored from the other, a few shades of a lighter blue even and the white has turned an angry red.

"Damn, I really did get ya didn't I?" The commander said with a light laugh.

"I guess that's Karma for ya, you take the hand of one of my men and I take the sight of one of your eyes" The commander said then proceeded to search for anymore hidden objects in the assassin's mouth. The man pulled out a blue and white capsule. The man held the capsule between his two fingers and turned toward the assassin.

"If you had this in your mouth the entire time why haven't you used it? You've been captured, you could have used it, you could have killed yourself along time ago, but instead you sit here and take the beatings? Well now you'll have no escape!" The man yelled, slamming the capsule onto the table.

When the man turned around next he was face to face with two of his men.

"What is this?" The man asked, gesturing to the limp bodies that had been dropped by the men's feet.

"The assassin's back up sir." The men replied. The assassin sighed at these words, and the man in charge laughed.

"Sir, transportation has arrived." One of the men who was previously guarding the door announced.

"Good. I want you to clean his eye, make sure there's no blood showing. Wouldn't want Mr. President knowing I did this, after all we're not exactly authorized for torture" The man paused, then began talking again.

"Untie his feet, but leave his hands cuffed when you're done." The man demanded, grinning at the defeated assassin.

The men came toward the assassin and tried to clean up his eye, but he turned his head away from them in an attempt to avoid them, earning gasps from the students when he looked their way. The swat member's caught his head and held him still. The men cleaning the boy up almost felt sorry for him, it seemed like the assassin changed personalities, and he became completely quiet and seemed to almost accept defeat. Who would do this to a child? Make him into this..this monster?

Once his eye was cleaned up they went to work at untying his feet.

Looks like they were wrong because once the assassin's feet were untied; he shot up from his seat, and knocked his head together with the nearest man, knocking the other guy out. The other man went at him, but the assassin was too quick and had sent him to the floor with a swift kick to his tenders.

"Get him!" The man in charge barked, turning a nice shade of purple in his anger. The other two men came at him, but the assassin dived out of the way. Once the assassin had stood up again he was standing directly before his weapons. Turning around the assassin grabbed the closest thing with his cuffed hands; a knife. The assassin had the knife by the blade, but with a quick toss in the air it landed back in his hands handle first.

One of the men lunged at him, but the assassin ducked, and the man went flying into the wall. The other man stalled before attacking, which gave the assassin an open window. With the short time he had the assassin managed to pop his arms out of place, bring them to the front of him, and pop them back into place. Now you can imagine how much that must have hurt, especially with a hurt shoulder and all, but the assassin never even cried out in pain.

"What are you doing? Get after him!" The man in charge bellowed at the stalling swat member. Before the man had reacted the assassin rushed the man and had plunged the knife deep into the man's chest causing him to cry in pain, and fall to the floor.

With the knife still in his hands the assassin walked toward the commander.

The man got in a defensive stance, and snarled at the assassin, beckoning him to make his move. The assassin grinned, and he too got in a defensive position. The two circled each other for a moment, each step brought the two closer together.

"You think you can win with your hands cuffed like that?" The man taunted, beckoning the assassin.

"What the hell?" The commander gasped, noticing the assassin's eye was no longer swollen and the open wound was now closed. It looked as if this was a long time scar that the assassin had a way before he even came here.

"You're not paying attention" The assassin sneered, landing a blow to the commander's jaw with the butt of the knife, sending him stumbling back. The man quickly regained his balance and lunged at the assassin, but the assassin was far too quick and stepped to the side. The man growled like an angry animal, and began to attack the assassin with sloppy and uncoordinated moves.

The man continued to attack the assassin, his fist swinging wildly in the air with the assassin dancing about him, dodging each of the blows with ease. Soon the man was covered in sweat and began to slow down.

"Unbalanced fool, you'll have killed yourself, using up your energy like that " The assassin laughed as he dropped the knife, and brought his cuffed hands around the man's neck, and pulled tight.

"I whisper in your ear before I kill you right?" The assassin purred into the man's ear as he held his grip around his throat. The man grabbed at his throat and tried with whatever strength he could to pull away from the assassin, but the more he struggled, the tighter the assassin's grip became. The man was losing air fast, his face flushed red, and his veins popped out of his skin from the pressure. Soon the veins in the man's eyes popped turning them an angry red. He gave one final gasp for air then his hands slipped from his neck and fell limply to his side.

With nothing more than a sigh the assassin let the man's body fall to the ground with a thud.

The assassin went to the desks, then picked up one of the paper clips, and began to pick the lock of his cuffs. Once the cuffs were off he began to stash his weapons on his person, in their rightful places.

"Danny?" A voice made the assassin look up from what he was doing. The assassin wasn't surprised when he saw the goth girl from earlier stand up.

"Sam Manson, age:17, target number three." The assassin said, picking up his gun.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sam Manson, age: 17, target number three." The assassin said, picking up his gun.

"Danny? Oh god, Danny! Is it really you?" The gothic girl asked, taking a step forward.

"No" The assassin replied, raising the gun and leveling it with the girl's head. The girl's eye grew wide and she took a step back.

"Danny, don't do this. You can't do this!" The girl yelled frantically, panic clear in her voice.

"The mission must be finished" The assassin said, thumbing the hammer and placing his finger on the trigger.

"Sam! It's me Sam! Danny, for fuck's sake would you think about what you're doing!"

"I don't care if you're the Queen of England! Your life has to end so I can collect my pay and move on to the next target" The assassin replied, putting a small amount of pressure on the trigger, he wanted to shoot, to pull the trigger, but something was stopping him.

"It doesn't have to be this way. No matter what happened while you were gone, no matter what you've done, you can still come home! Things can go back to the way they were! Danny, please just listen to me!" The girl pleaded.

"Home? What are you talking about and why do you keep calling me Danny? Who the hell is Danny?"

"Who's Danny? You..your Danny!" The girl yelled, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Would you shut up already! You don't know me!" The assassin shouted, then pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed passed the girl, barely missing her by mere centimeters and logged itself into the far wall.

The girl fell silent, nearly unable to breath she was so frightened.

"What the...stay still!" The assassin growled, gripping his trembling hand with his other hand, trying to steady the gun. He shot to gun again, missing once again.

"God damn it! Why can't I kill you!" The assassin roared, shooting a window out.

"Because you're not a killer Danny" The girl whispered.

"Not a killer? hah! Were your eyes glued shut this whole time? Look around you! On the floor, their all dead! and I enjoyed killing them!"

"Please, just stop! This isn't you! Where's the Danny I knew? What did you do with him!" The girl yelled, on the verge of tears, unable to stand the site of her former best friend and crush like this.

"This is me! A killer! an assassin! I'm not this Danny you think I am, I don't know who Danny is!"

"You're trying to get into my head aren't you? To keep me from killing you, aren't you!" The assassin accused, his eyes wild and movements frantic.

"You really believe this? That you're a killer? What happened to you to make you become like this?"

"Nothing happened to me! I was born into this! This is who I am!"

"You went missing for four years and nothing happened? You come back, posing as some assassin! Snap out of it Danny, this isn't you!"

"Missing? I haven't been missing. I've been where I was supposed to be this whole time." The assassin said in a monotone voice.

"My god, you really believe this is who you are" The girl whispered more to herself, the realization sinking in.

"You really don't remember me do you? You don't remember anyone in this room; you don't even remember your own name"

"I remember my own name just fine! Stop feeding me these lies!" The assassin shouted and raised the gun to where it was pointed between her eyes.

"I won't miss this time" The assassin said, glaring at the girl.

"Please, just try to remember! Think back Danny!"

Footsteps and shouts could be heard coming from down the hall.

"Damn it! There's no time!" The assassin cursed, and looked around the room for a quick escape.

"No windows, no vents…What is this, jail?" The assassin murmured, then went to the door, and cracked it open only to shut it back quickly. The assassin took a deep breath, and held his gun in a readied position.

"Be quiet or I swear I will kill every single one of you" The assassin threatened in a whispered voice. The room fell silent shortly after.

"Shit, there's gotta be dozens of them!" The assassin said to himself taking another peek out the door then knelt on the ground, and began to go through his pockets. Once the assassin found what he was looking for, he laid it out on the floor. With quick fingers the assassin put together a small but lethal bomb.

"Danny, what are you doing?" Sam asked, her voice tinged with fear and concern. The entire class watched in bewilderment as the assassin they once knew as Danny paced around the room muttering to himself. The assassin ignored her and walked over to the other side of the room. Passing the desk he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Walking up to the desk he tore a roll of tape from its black dispenser then took two small pistols from the holsters on his thighs. Quickly he tapped the guns side by side on his back and made his way back to the door.

Once the footsteps got closer, the assassin pressed a small button on the bomb, slid it under the door and fell to the ground, covering his ears.

"Get down!" A voice yelled from just outside the door before the bomb exploded. The deafening cries of the men outside pierced the ears of the students, and made them cringe.

"Move forward!" A voice demanded after they made sure it was okay to move. The assassin took a gun from another one of his pockets and stood up, back against the wall, gun pointed toward the door. In a matter of seconds the door burst open, and in came what was left after the explosion, four men.

"Drop the weapon!" One of the men yelled. The assassin obeyed and dropped the gun.

"Kick it toward me." The man demanded, and the assassin did just that.

"Now hands behind your head!" The man yelled, not noticing the smirk on the assassins face. The assassin put his hands behind his head. Next, the man ordered for his men to search the assassin. As the men walked forward, the assassin inched his hands further behind his head until he had a firm grasp on both the guns.

In one quick movement the assassin ripped the guns off his back, and popped both the guys in the head before moving onto the last two. The assassin shot one of the men in the throat, killing him instantly, but he wanted to have a little fun with the last guy who was apparently their commander.

The commander raised his gun but the assassin knocked it out of his hands, and tossed his own guns. The assassin closed the space between himself, and the larger man before him, while drawing out two combat knifes. The man threw his fist at the assassin's jaw, and missed, just barely grazing his skin. The assassin laughed, and punched the man in the face, knocking him off balance. The man recoiled quickly, and tried for an upper cut, succeeding, and causing the assassin to take a few steps back. The assassin growled in anger, his fist connecting with the guys skull.

The man staggered then, went in for another punch, but the assassin had another idea. The assassin took this opportunity, and grabbed the man's right hand, forcing it down to the man's own crotch. In one swift movement the assassin had lodged the blade of his knife through the man's hand, and into his groin. The man cried out it pain, trying frantically to pull the knife out of his hand.

The assassin smirked, and shoved his other blade into the man's open jaw, lodging it deep into the roof of his mouth and causing a sickening, gurgling noise to rise from the back of his throat. Blood exploded from the wound, forming a bubble in the man's throat, cutting off all air. The bubble burst with a silent pop, splattering minuscule droplets of blood on the assassin's emotionless face. Dead, the man fell to the ground, with one hand still over his crotch. Once the last man was taken out the assassin tore the tape off his guns, and put them in their rightful place.

As the assassin walked to where his gun lay on the ground, a small pained whimper caught his attention. When the assassin turned to his left he spotted one of the swat members on the ground clasping his chest, and crying in pain. With a light laugh the assassin scoped his other gun up of the floor, and shot the guy in the head, ending his pitiful cries.

The assassin walked over to the two dead assassins, whose bodies lay sprawled across the ground, limbs twisted in awkward positions**_, _**and knelt down on the ground by the bodies to begin his search. He paused when he recognized their faces.

After sucking in a deep breath he let it out in a long, and exasperated sigh.

"No wonder they were able to take them out so easy...they sent the trainees...why would they send the trainees for something like this? I would have expected them to send one of the higher ranked assassins..." The assassin breathed, continuing to search the bodies. The assassin's face lite up with a smile when he found what he wanted; an earpiece.

He picked the earpiece up, and was about to connect it to the mic he was still wearing when a voice said something that caught his attention.

**'Of course you're probably dead by now, you were never supposed to make it out of that school alive anyway."** The voice said, in the middle of a conversation between himself, and the dead assassin.

The assassin cocked his head to the side, and put the piece into his ear so he could hear the person better. Of course if he wanted to reply to the person on the other end he'd have to either speak into the mic tucked under the dead assassin's shirt, or hook it up to his own mic.

"Danny?" The goth girl said, walking toward the assassin, determined to get her friend back.

"Sam, what are you doing? He'll kill you! Did you not just see what he just did to those guys?" A voice from the back of the room protested but the girl kept walking.

"Shut up!" The assassin bellowed, trying to hear what the person was saying. The students gasped, but they obeyed, terrified of what the person they knew as Danny would do to them. Sam stopped in her tracks, and starred at her former best friend in dismay.

**'You were only a distraction, after all-'**

'**Are you seriously talking to a dead body, right now? Not just that, but giving away our plans? I know we deal with a lot of death, and of shit, but that doesn't mean you go insane, and start talking to dead people.'**

'**Who are you calling insane? I am a genius for coming up with this plan, and i deserve-'**

'**To what? Gloat?'**

**Bang Bang! There was a short cry from the second person, before the insane man came back to his mic.**

'**Stupid interns. Now. Where was I?'**

_'_**Ah, yes. The distraction, after all, to make **_him_** believe that we were coming, that we were really trying to save him. The one known as X, or better yet "The Phantom" as the rumors say, had to believe we were still on his side for his last moments.**

Hoping this guy was more of an idiot than he was presently making himself, the assassin waited for him to continue. Which he did.

**'He doesn't know this yet, but we sent him out there on a suicide mission. They say he's far too dangerous to keep in the organization any longer, the leaders are actually scared of him! Can you believe that? The all mighty, and powerful leaders are afraid of a 17 year old boy! They think he's a threat, that he'll turn on us. Oh oh, Shhhh, remember, this is a secret. Awe, who am I kidding? You can't tell anyone, you're dead! Hahahaha! Personally I think it's because they're afraid he'll find out everyone's been lying to him. If he finds out the leaders know who he really is, that they've been hiding everything from him, then he will turn against us. If you ask me the leaders fucked themselves over when they brought him into the organization. You can keep a secret right?' The man thus broke off into a fit of laughter, only making himself seems more insane.**

The assassin ripped the mic from the shirt of the corpse by his side.

"No." The assassin said, anger boiling in his blood.

**'X? But you...you're...you should be dead by now!' The voice squeaked, you could all but hear the man gulp in fear.**

"Oh, I'm alive, mother fucker!."

**'I..I..I was only joking! None of that is true, honest!' The voice stuttered in an attempt to save his ass.**

'**Ha, nice save...' presumably the intern lying on the floor said as his last words.**

"You sir, have just signed your death certificate!" The assassin yelled before dropping the earpiece to the floor, and crushing it underfoot.

"Lying bastards! I should have known better than this! If they know who I am, then they must have a file on me...I have to find that file." The assassin said to himself as he made his way to the door.


	4. Chapter 4

"Danny?" Sam asked, cautiously walking forward to her former best friend who stood at the door, one hand posed over the handle. The assassin was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice her until she had laid a hand on his shoulder. At first the assassin stiffened from the sudden movement, but soon he had one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, with the blade of his knife gently kissing her throat.

"I was going to let you go, but you keep giving me more and more reasons to kill you." The assassin purred into the girl's ear.

"Danny, I'm not your enemy, I want to help you" The girl said, struggling under the boys grip.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't slit your throat right now." The assassin demanded, pressing the blade into the girl's throat ever so slightly. The girl winced, but remained her composure.

"I can help you Danny, just let me try!" The assassin glared at the girl, his patience running thin.

"Ehh! Wrong answer. Better think of a reason fast or I'll paint this room with your blood!" He shouted, tightening his grip on the blade, threatening to slice a huge red smile across her throat.

"I….I loved you Danny. I never wanted to admit this, especially not like this. You were the only one I could connect with, the only who cared!I know your in there somewhere Danny, please just let me help you, let me try!"

"Awe, now isn't that touching" The assassin laughed.

"I don't need help, especially from some bitch who thinks she knows me!"

"I tell ya what, I'll find this Danny character, and when I do, I'll kill him just for you" The assassin taunted.

"There's no need. He's already dead" The girl said, choking back the tears that threatened to fall.

The assassin's eyes softened and a look of almost sadness crossed his face.

"You're so familiar" The assassin whispered, gently rubbing his thumb on the girls cheek, and wiping at her tears. It was almost as if he had changed personalities completely.

"I want to believe what your saying, that I'm not a killer...but I..I can't" The assassin said in such a low voice it was barely audible.

"You can believe it. I can help you remember who you really are, you just have to let me" The girl pleaded, tears streaming down her face in a constant flow.

"No!" The assassin shouted. His eyes flashed red for a second then went back to their previous color, his personality seemed to shift again and his features became hard once more.

"You're lying! This is all some elaborate charade to trap me!" The girl tried to push herself away from the assassin.

"no! no I'm not lying! How could I make all of this up?"

"You think your smart don't you? You think you've tricked me, gotten me to soften up. We'll I got another thing comin' for ya honey!" The assassin pressed his blade into the girls throat and she struggled to get away, but his grip was like stone.

"Danny please stop! You're hurting me!"

"Of course I am sweetheart, it's kinda the whole point!" The assassin yelled, a wicked smile creeping onto his lips.

"Your gonna die, nice and slowly" He continued in a low, menacing voice that cause an ice cold shiver to snake down the girl's back.

"You won't." The girl chocked under the pressure of the blade.

"What did you say?" The assassin asked, gritting his teeth.

"You won't kill me Danny, because somewhere deep inside you, you still care for me. Some part of you recognizes me, and some part of you wants to remember me." The assassin was taken aback by the girl's words.

The assassin turned the girl toward him and snatched her face in his hand, with his fore finger, and his thumb he squeezed on each side of her cheeks, causing her lips to pucker in an awkward position. He then proceeded to turn her face from side to side, and observed her delicate features.

"You know, you really are very pretty…..it's too bad I'm going to kill you." The assassin sighed, still gazing at the girl. The girl glared at the assassin silently. The assassin chuckled and with one hand he delicately picked up a lock of her dark hair, and took in it's scent, working his way up to her neck, and trailed his nose to the other side of her hair.

"Mmm Lavender" The assassin purred, which caused girl to shutter and try to pull away, but the assassin grabbed her with his other hand, and pulled her closer.

"You're a very stubborn girl you know that? I admire that in a person, it makes it that much more worth while to kill them." The girl scoffed in response, which only made the assassin's lips curl into a one sided smile.

"How's 'bout a little goodbye kiss before I kill you?" The assassin cooed, bringing the girl closer. The girl tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp but that only resulted in his grip tightening, and a deep laughter to pour from his lips.

"What's the matter? I thought you ...loved me?" The assassin frowned, looking deep into the girl's violet eyes, and gently caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"I did." The girl replied, allowing the tears to run down her cheeks. The assassin opened his mouth to reply with a sarcastic remark, but before he got the chance a burning pain in the back of his head caused him to let go of the girl, and drop his knife.

The assassin howled in pain and fell to the floor, clutching his head as dots danced in his vision. For a moment his eyes flashed red, then slowly went back to blue just as they have before. He looked up at the girl with soft, pleading eyes, the one's that belonged to the Danny she knew. The assassin slowly stood up, his jaw working up, and down trying to form words, but they died in his throat.

_She's right, I do want to remember her...I want to believe what she said, but I can't... how could I know for sure what she's saying is true?_

"I knew you'd come back, I knew you were in there Danny..." The girl said walking toward the assassin with caution.

_It can't be real... she has to be lying!_

The assassin's eyes were once again devoid of emotion. He grabbed the girl by her throat, digging his nails into her skin.

"Danny!" The girl chocked.

_If she's lying...then why do I feel guilty for hurting her? I've never felt guilty for any of my victims...even the one's that were accidents, the one's that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time._

_You feel guilty because your the one who can still feel! Now get out of my head so I can finish this!_

"How's 'bout that kiss?" The assassin laughed, forcing his lips against hers. The girl struggled against him, but to no avail, the assassin wouldn't let go. The assassin shoved his tongue into the girls mouth, but pulled it back with a yell when she bit it. Furious, the assassin slapped her across the face, then let her go with a shove, sending her into the wall. The girl yelped when she hit the wall, but gave no further protest in stopping the assassin.

The assassin walked toward the girl and was about to pick her back up when that same burning pain as before came back. The assassin looked at the tear streaked girl with a sorry expression.

"I'm sorry.." He whispered. Just as soon as he said that, he was yelling in pain again and gripping his head.

"No! You are not in charge! I will not let you ruin this mission because you want her!" The assassin growled in a deep voice.

"Not even you can kill her! You recognize her too!" The assassin argued back with a voice that sounded younger, and less menacing.

"Get out of my head!" The deep voice countered. The assassin dug his nails into his scalp in frustration and straightened up, and took his leave, slamming the door behind himself.

"What's happened to you Danny?" The girl whispered as she watched her former best friend walk out of the room.

"Sam? Sam are you ok?" A voice from the back of the room asked before a figure walked up to her.

"I'm fine Tuck" She told the boy standing above her.

"No, your not. Let me help you" The boy insisted, holding a hand out to her.

"Tuck! I'm, fine! It's Danny we need to worry about!" The girl cried out. The boy helped the girl up regardless of the fact that she refused.

"I'm worried about him to Sam, but I'm more worried about you right now" The girl leaned into her friend and buried her face in his shoulder.

"It was like watching two people fight over the same body. He's in there Tuck" She said, gripping her freind by the shoulders and starring up at him with pleading eyes.

"We have to help him" She pleaded.

"He's gone Sam, we need to accept it, there's nothing we can do to bring him back"

"He was fighting back Tucker! Someone did this to him and he's trying to surface! Practically pleading for help! We can't just abandoned him!" She protested, pulling away from Tucker and starring at him with disbelief.

"Sam! He nearly killed you! You've seen what he's done, what he's capable of!"

"It doesn't matter. I believe he's still in there, fighting for a way out. I can't just sit here and allow this to happen Tucker. For four years I believed he was out there somewhere, and now that he's back... I can't let him slip through my fingers. If your a true friend you'd do the same" She said, anger evident in her voice. With her last words she yanked the door open and bolted down the hallway.

"Sam! Sam!" Tucker yelled, before taking off after her.

* * *

The assassin walked until he was out of sight of the school, and even then he kept walking until he found just what he was looking for. Keeping his head bowed, the assassin silently slipped into a nearly deserted gas station. Wasting no time, he walked directly to the fridge containing alcohol. Grabbing the first bottle his hand landed on, the assassin turned back around and headed out the door.

Once out the door the assassin took off, with a large angry man on his heels but before too long the large man lost his footing, fell face first into the cement, and ceased to follow him. The assassin ducked into a nearby alley, and searched it before slumping against the wall, and prying open the cap on the bottle. When the cap came off the assassin took a long swallow of the alcohol, before pulling his shirt back from his shoulder, and pouring the alcohol on his wound. He gritted his teeth, and pushed back a scream as the alcohol burned his skin.

"It wont be too long before they find me, they know my last location, they know I couldn't have gone far...and they wont be slow to follow." The assassin said to himself as he clutched the bottle.

" And that's precisely why you're gonna to let me take control for now. Ya may be better at the fighting and, the relentless killing, but your no good at staying quiet; we'll be caught for sure with you in charge." The assassin replied to himself in a slightly different voice, a softer voice then the one before.

"Fine, but if we see that girl again, I'm gonna to kill her...something about her, it was bringing you out at the wrong time. What she said...it was true wasn't it?" The assassin asked.

"No, I mean I dunno... but you can't kill her, she knows something, we can use it to our advantage." The softer voice replied.

"Listen to me! I am still the stronger one, and if I say she's no good, she's no good!" The assassin yelled.

"I wont let you! I need to find out what she knows!" The softer voice yelled.

The assassin arched his neck back, and laughed into the sky.

"And what do you plan on doing with that?" The assassin asked, holding the blade of a knife up to his own throat.

"You're not going to kill her, she's no longer our target. She can probably help us! She knows who we are and if..." The softer voice trailed off.

"Who we are? Have you forgotten? You're merely a creation of mine...that is who you are! I need to find out who I am, and to do so, I'm going to find every file Albeline has on me. That is how I will find out who I am! Not from some strange girl who thinks she knows me!" The assassin yelled, pushing the blade away from his throat with his other hand.

"I will let you take control, only for our survival, but if you mess one thing up, I will push you so far into the back of my mind that you won't be able to have your own thoughts any longer. I created you for a reason, and you will serve that reason!" The assassin shouted.

"You still think you are the one who has created me? You have forgotten haven't you? I remember it...all of it...the pain I went through, that caused you to be born..." The assassin trailed off in a soft voice, and stood up. He began to walk to the far end of the alley, and as he walked he gradually let the half full bottle of alcohol slip from his fingers, and crash to the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

Fingernails dug into the scalp of a messy raven haired head which was buried into both hands of its owner. A deep throaty growl escaped the boy's lips as a fist slammed into the mirror before him, causing the glass to crack and a few pieces to fall away. The boy looked up at the mirror and stared helplessly into the eyes of his broken up mirror counterpart.

"Why does this keep happening?" The boy asked under his breath, knowing it was pointless.

It's happened for the past few days, only this time was different... this time he could see the boy, but who was he?

What is this child trying to tell him? If he was even trying to tell him anything ... or was he just plain haunting him?

The boy squeezed his eyes shut and with one shaking hand pinched the bridge of his nose.

_Traitor!_

The raven haired teen raised his head and looked into the face of his reflection. He leaned in closer to the reflection when he thought he saw something move. When he came closer to the mirror, the eyes before him slowly became a deep crimson red, the lips curled into a wicked smile, the skin became a gnarly blue and the hair became a crisp white.

The boy flinched and took a step back from the sink. A low, slow taunting laughter ripped through the air. The boy's heart began to race and a wave of nausea washed over him as he recognized the voice as that continuous sound from his dream. He gripped his head as the dream came rushing back at him.

_It was the eerie wailing of the wind that startled him awake. His heartbeat pounded in his throat, the sound of it loud in his ears like the rush of blood pumping steadily through his veins. It was dark, so very dark. There was only weak candle light to cast aside the pitch of night and it just wasn't enough. Shadows as dark as coal moved just beyond the ring of safety that hesitant bit of light provided. There was something out there in the dark. He could feel it as tangible as a moist, warm breath on the back of his neck. Something was out there and it was waiting. Its presence was menacing in nature, dangerous and scary._

_He materialized out of nowhere, as if a part of the mist that had begun to invade the room he is in. A tiny waif of a boy, all long limbs and slenderness with features that are soft and gentle and just this side of sharp giving him a pixie like air._

_ A child alone in this awful place? That can't be right. What on earth is going on? A few minutes ago he was in a bed, curled up in a warm nest of blankets and now…_

_His pitch black, raven hair framed his face in a fine cut heap, haloed by the full moon casting its silver hue. Amazingly he giggled, the innocent sound of childish joy and chased after what appeared to be a butterfly with pure white wings. The sight was almost captivating and before he realized it there was a bright smile on his face despite the grimness of his surroundings. It didn't last long though._

_The candle went out and it seemed the moon did as well because suddenly there was only the smothering blanket of darkness. It was enough to make the bravest panic… and when he heard that scream; high pitched and terrified, it's all he could do not to give in to the fear himself. Even still, his racing heart had him glued to the spot where he stood. Immobile and impossible to move as if held there by some invisible force. Magic perhaps? In this odd place, who knows?_

_It took a moment before he could see the light, just a hint of color coming from far away. He heard sobbing as well and thought it might be that little boy. The light came closer, moving ever so slowly and casting aside the black abyss. There was a steady hum in the air, and a low growl underlying it that never quite stopped. The stone walls were illuminated just enough for him to tell that's what they were, look damp and charred. A house. Apparently this was a house… or maybe the ruins of one from the state of what he could see. In the middle of it all, the boy was moving, only he was not the tiny little thing from before._

_Was it only just a moment ago? Impossible!_

_He was still young, though closer to adolescence than childhood and the sight of him was shocking. The pale skin that practically glowed in the darkness was grimy. That raven hair now disheveled and dirty. He was a mess. His feet were bare and his clothes, tattered. The smile that once graced his lips so easily was gone now. Those innocent blue eyes were filled with fear as he carefully took slow step after slow step. They darted from side to side as if he was scanning the dark around him for something just waiting to pounce._

_The teen reached out to him, ready to offer protection to the little boy but he couldn't get close. There was an invisible wall there that wouldn't let him near enough to offer the child comfort. He tried to speak, because maybe words can do the trick just as well as any touch could, but no words came. He was mute, unable to make a sound._

_The wind picked up again, its howling banshee-like and the boy shivered, though whether from the cold or the dread that sound evoked was impossible to tell._

_The boy dropped the candle and started to run. The teen tried to follow. He was keeping a good pace, only a step or two behind until the boy turned a corner while casting a worried look over his shoulder. Still the child didn't see him. The boy looked right through him instead, eyes widening at what he saw, though what that was there was no way for him to know because there was nothing there. Only the darkness._

_When he turned back, the child was gone. Everything was gone. The house was quiet, the wind had died and the walls were lined with lit sconces, the fire burned brightly there chasing away the darkness that until now had threatened to overwhelm him._

_Something still felt wrong. Desperately, impossibly wrong and that feeling was punctuated by a shriek coming from somewhere near. It had him running the halls, panting with the exertion and pushing his limbs to take him there faster. His legs burned and his chest felt tight as he followed the sound, it grew louder and louder until suddenly he was faced with a large wooden door. The only obstacle between him and whatever it was making that sound._

_He reached out, placing an amazingly steady hand on the door and pushed. It creaked and groaned like something out of a nightmare and finally, revealed to him the room behind it._

_It was the room. The one in which he woke not so long ago. It was still eerie even though this time because of the full moon, he could see. He was standing there, the boy. Still tattered and dirty._

_The boy turned to look at him, a flash of recognition in his eyes. He thought this may be it, his moment to reach out. So he did. Only at that very moment there was a sound like thunder, a puff of smoke that enveloped the boy and another shriek. One he knows now came from the child. One that was echoing in him._

_He rushed to the spot where the boy stood as the smoke began to clear and he fell to his knees. He was gone. A tattered bit of white and red cloth the only thing left of him and it lay in the spot where he once stood._

_He's gone…and there's nothing he could have done to stop it, though he wishes he could have. Wished it with all that he is._

_An angst colored by desperation filled him as a single tear traced the contour of his cheek. He dropped to his knees, closing his eyes and let the darkness overcome him like the overwhelming emotion he could no longer hold at bay. One word was left echoing in his head because his voice still wouldn't work: Gone._

"Monster!" His reflection bellowed, smiling cruelly at the boy who had been forced out of his memory. The boy's new mirror counterpart continually repeated the word and each time it said it, it's voice grew stronger, and with each word the reflection grew in size until it was about to burst out of the glass.

"Enough!" The boy yelled, backing up into the wall behind him, but the taunting wouldn't stop. That same deep crimson red began to seep through the cracks in the mirror and spill onto the floor, then a sharp pain pierced the boy's head and he collapsed to the ground.

"Stop!" He shouted, gripping his head and shutting his eyes against the seemingly endless laughter. The image of that young child smiling playfully once again flooded his mind.

"Who...are you?" The boy whispered, his heart clenched and a deep gut feeling came over him. He opened his eyes and stared down at his hands, but something wasn't right... suddenly a pool of dark blood sat in his hands and slowly, the slippery substance seeped through his fingers.

"No. No, no no!" He said over and over as he frantically tried to wipe his hands clean of the blood, but nothing he did helped. He stood up in a panic, rushed to the sink and with shaking hands he turned on the faucet but what poured out wasn't water. He was soon surrounded by red and nothing but red.

"Why, why did you forget me?" A sad, soft childish voice asked. The boy looked back up at the mirror to find the small child from his dream. Tears streaked his bloody and dirt clotted face. Sadness, confusion and betrayal were all etched clearly onto his petite facial features.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He protested.

"You killed me..." He said, choking on his words when a large red smile crept across his neck. That sickly red substance oozed from the wound and spilled in trickles down his neck, staining his pale skin.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?" The child mocked, reaching out for the older boy, but when his hand made contact with the glass the child fell to pieces.

"Wait!" He cried, his voice resonating off the bathroom walls and leaving an echo ringing in his ears. When the boy next looked into the mirror he found that the boy had been replaced by an grey haired man who wore a large sadistic smile on his face.

"Dad?" He asked in a strained whisper, starring up at the laughing man.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, taking a step back.

"He deserved it, they all did. They are all gone now..." The man said in a low taunting voice, his smile growing in size.

The boy found himself sitting on the floor, back to the wall and palms pressed against his eyes.

"It's not real…" He reassured himself, pulling his hands away from his face and surveying his surroundings to find that everything had gone back to normal. He stood up and cautiously made his way to the sink. He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his tangled hair, taking note of the large bags under his eyes.

"Pitiful... you're just a pathetic, worthless mess!" He yelled kicking at the wall in frustration, angry that he let himself become so weak.

A thick sheet of fog collecting at the edges of the mirror brought him out of his thoughts; he had forgotten he had left the water running. After peeling his clothes off, he stepped into the shower.

At first the water stung but soon it became a soothing waterfall. Closing his eyes and tilting his head back, he allowed the hot, steaming rush of water to wash his worries down the drain. Once he finished washing his hair and rinsing his body of suds he stepped out of the shower and patted himself dry, then towel dried his hair. With the towel now wrapped around his waist, he found himself in front of that dreadful and cracked mirror once more.

For a moment he found himself absent mindedly tracing the jagged edges of the new scar that lay over his right eye. Sighing heavily, he pulled away from the scar and threw on the clothes he had been wearing last night.

"What do you suppose it means? That dream… it's so repetitive" The boy asked himself, then replied in a much softer and boyish sounding voice "I'm not sure, But I am sure Albeline knows…dad knows" He said, opening the door and leaving the bathroom. He walked down the hallway, musing over the dream and what he could only guess was a hallucination as he stepped over body after body and found himself in the living room.

"Such a nice house…looks much better painted in red" The raven haired boy said in that deep voice, an echoing laugh shortly following suit.

"You're sick you know that?" The boy replied to himself in a softer tone.

"I am you" The deep voice laughed as the boy rummaged through the cabinets and fridge. He stuffed whatever small items he figured he could use into a black duffel bag he had found earlier, before scouring the rest of the house.

Once he had gathered every useful thing he could find, he went back to the kitchen where he had earlier found a large wine holder. With his arms full of wine bottles, he walked to the back of the house, popped the cap of one of the bottled and began to dump the contents all over the room, before moving on to the next until the entire house was coated in that rancid smelling liquid.

He next pulled a loose cigarette from his pocket along with a box of matches, he lite the cigarette before dropping the match at the end of a wine trail and watched as the trail lite up in a bright blaze.

He stood there for a moment, lips curling into a sideways smile and the reflection of the fire dancing in his eyes before he left the house with the cigarette pinched between his fingers. He leaned up against the outside of the door for a moment, taking a long drag of the cigarette and watched as the smoke lazily drifted upwards, before pushing off the door and tossing the cigarette behind him.

"So what's your plan? Gonna go find Mrs. Lavander?" The boy asked in a deep voice, as he walked down the street, the house completely engulfed in red hot flames in the near distance behind him.

"No" He replied to himself, his tone shifting once again to that boyish voice "She's gonna come find us" He paused, a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips "After all she was searching for us all last night" He sighed "All I have to do is drop a few hints and she'll pick up on them like a hound dog"

"Mmm and what do you plan to do with her once you have her?" The deeper voice asked, stopping the boy in his tracks.

"She wants to help, remember?" The softer voice spoke up "So were going to let her help, though not quite in the way she wants" He paused "We'll get any information off of her we can, then use her to get out of the city"

"A human shield….I like the way you think" The boy's darker side commented, that deep and dark laughter echoing behind his voice.

"I am you" The boy replied, mocking his other half from his earlier statement.


End file.
